Five deaths in mariachi plaza shootout pose test for Mexico's new government

A view of a crime scene hours after unknown assailants attacked people with rifles and pistols at an intersection on the edge of the tourist Plaza Garibaldi in Mexico City, Mexico September 15, 2018. REUTERS/Gustavo Graf

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Five people died after a dramatic shootout at a famed Mexico City mariachi plaza, officials said on Saturday, the latest in a recent string of crimes in the capital that will soon put to the test the incoming government's new tactics to fight violence.

At Plaza Garibaldi in the capital's historic downtown on Friday night, gunmen said by witnesses to be dressed as mariachi musicians opened fire with pistols and rifles, injuring eight and sending onlookers running and screaming. The incident left three men and two women dead, city officials said.